The present invention relates generally to valves and more particularly relates to valve arrangements for use in testing fire suppression water sprinkler systems.
In a typical fire suppression water sprinkler system as installed in many buildings, an array of individual fire sprinklers is supplied with water through a main conduit and various branch conduits. The individual fire sprinklers are generally provided with a member that melts when the ambient temperature reaches a predetermined level indicative of a fire. The melting of the member opens a fire sprinkler to spray water in order to suppress the fire. The individual fire sprinklers are provided with meltable members so that the spray of water will hopefully be limited to the region of the building where the fire is present. In this way, the extent of water damage may be minimized.
Such fire suppression systems also oftentimes have a switch or sensor that detects the flow of water in the conduits to indicate when even only one of the individual water sprinklers has opened. Since the flow of water in the conduits generally means that a fire is present in the building, the switch or sensor typically triggers a fire alarm or sends an appropriate signal directly to a fire department. Therefore, many codes require, and it is generally otherwise desirable, that the switch or sensor which detects the flow of water in the conduits be periodically tested. Accordingly, it has also become conventional in the art to provide a valve which enables the system to be tested by permitting a flow of water therethrough corresponding to the flow which would occur when only one individual water sprinkler has been opened.
Various valves and arrangements for testing and also for draining fire suppression systems are known in the art such as are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,103,862, 4,971,109, 4,995,423, 4,852,610, 4,741,361 all of AGF Manufacturing, Inc. These patents are each incorporated herein by reference.
In the known valves and arrangements for testing fire suppression systems, the testing valve is operated manually with the inspector or maintenance personnel positioned at the testing valve. Being adjacent to the testing valve also permits the inspector or maintenance personnel to visually observe the flow of water through the testing valve through one or more sight glasses, if provided, or through the outlet of the testing valve if the outlet is not piped directly to a closed drain.
In view of the above background information, it is an object of the present invention to provide a testing valve and testing valve arrangement by which a fire suppression system may be tested remotely.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a testing valve and testing valve arrangement by which a fire suppression system may be tested remotely, economically, and relatively easily.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a testing valve and testing valve arrangement by which a fire suppression system may be tested remotely using an electrically controlled solenoid valve, an electrically or pneumatically actuated valve or other known valve means.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a testing valve and testing valve arrangement by which a fire suppression system may be tested remotely using an electrically controlled solenoid valve and in which the flow through the solenoid valve is restricted to replicate or provide a flow equivalent to the flow through a specific sprinkler head in the system being tested.
The above objects as well as other objects not specifically mentioned are accomplished by a valve arrangement for remotely testing a fire suppression sprinkler system, in accordance with the present invention, in which a conduit supplies a fire suppression fluid to a plurality of sprinklers and a sensing arrangement is provided for sensing a flow of the fire suppression fluid in the conduit. In the arrangement, a flow is provided through a passageway corresponding to the flow of said fire suppression fluid through one of said sprinklers with a remotely controlled valve selectively opening and closing the passageway, whereby said fire suppression sprinkler system may be remotely tested.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a remotely controlled valve is provided with a restricted opening corresponding to the flow through a sprinkler head of a fire suppression system.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a valve arrangement for use in a fire suppression sprinkler system comprises a first valve for controlling the flow of a fluid. The first valve comprises an inlet and first and second outlets. The first valve also comprises a first configuration selectively preventing flow from the inlet to the first outlet and a second configuration selectively permitting flow from the inlet to the first outlet at a preselected rate corresponding to the flow through a single fire suppression sprinkler. The first valve also permits flow from the inlet to the second outlet when the valve is in the first configuration. A second valve controls the flow of a fluid, with the second valve comprising an inlet and an outlet, with the inlet of the second valve being in communication with the second outlet of said first valve. The second valve comprises a first configuration selectively preventing flow from the inlet to the outlet of the second valve and a second configuration selectively permitting flow from the inlet to the outlet of the second valve. The flow through the second valve is also restricted to a preselected rate corresponding to the flow through a single fire suppression sprinkler. In a preferred embodiment, one of the first and second valves is remotely actuated and the other valve is manually actuated. The manually actuated valve thereby permits a manual confirmation of the flow test of the sprinkler system which is performed by the remotely actuated valve.
According to another preferred embodiment, a valve arrangement for remotely testing a fire suppression sprinkler system comprises a conduit for supplying a fire suppression fluid to a plurality of sprinklers with a sensor for sensing a flow of the fire suppression fluid in the conduit. A supply valve controls a flow of fluid through the conduit with a first testing valve testing the sensor and with the first testing valve comprising an inlet and an outlet. The first testing valve comprises a first configuration selectively preventing flow from the inlet to the outlet and a second configuration selectively permitting flow from the inlet to the outlet at a preselected rate corresponding to the flow through a single fire suppression sprinkler. A second testing valve tests the sensor with the second testing valve comprising an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the second valve is in communication with the conduit downstream of the supply valve with the flow through the second testing valve being restricted to a preselected rate corresponding to the flow through a single fire suppression sprinkler.